captioning funded by cbs it's thursday, december 7th, 2017. this is the "cbs morning news." wild fires burn out of control in southern california. now the fire-stricken region is bracing for record-strong winds making it even harder for firefighters to gain control. bracing for fallout. president trump delivers on a campaign promise, putting the middle east on edge. and road rage turns into a wild west-like shoot-out on a busy houston street with bystanders caught in the crossfire.

good morning from the studio 57 newsroom at cbs news headquarters here in new york. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. overnight at least four major wildfires burned out of control in southern california, one in the heart of los angeles. there is no relief in sight. conditions today are expected to be extreme. one fire official said gusting 80-mile-per-hour winds could create unprecedent fire danger. about 200,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. hundreds of homes have been destroyed and for the first time ever a purple forecast has been issued for a wind index. that is the most severe warning. kenneth craig is there where the most destructive fire is. good morning, kenneth. >> reporter: good morning.% take a look behind me. you can see what firefighters are dealing with. this fire has doubled in size

from yesterday forces more people out of their homes. as thousands continue to evacuate, thousands of miles of fire, this man was trying to save a bunny from flames alongside the highway. after two days of massive wildfires that have scorched hundreds of thousands of acres, res denltds have been told to embrace for the worse. >> it's going to continue for several days if not worse. the weather conditions predicted for today are just about the worst-case scenario. >> the brush burning index, that's the number we rate for a brush fire. for tomorrow it's 296. this is the highest number i've ever seen in my career. >> reporter: proof it doesn't discriminate. homes in bellaire have been reduced to rubble. thousands more in the region are still in harm's way. >> i was expecting this year to

see snow on that mountain and now the thing's on fire. >> reporter: the fire is still raging taking over hillsides as it makes its way toward oh high. some are being allowed back in their homes or what's left of them. >> devastated and every friend we've talked to is in the same boat. >> reporter: the wind is expected to die down although they say it will create a fire condition at least until saturday. this fire is only 5% contained in nearby by ojai. they have trolleys nearby to evacuate residents if they need to. >> thank you so much, ken jeekt firefighters in southern california are battling flames being stoked by unrelenting winds. paul deanno of wkpix has more. >> with a strong area of

pressure from the north and to the south south california nearly in a wind tunnel and if anything the wind will get stronger today with wind gusts as high as 80 miles an hour. the winds impacting los angeles and ventura county. wind gusts as high as 80 miles an hour and relative humidity likely dropping into the single digits. the fire condition may get worse today and is horrible all week long. a significant threat for all of the fires that have already sarted and air quality in the specific areas dealing with the smoke. they'll have hazardous air quality. i'm meteorologist paul deanno for cbs news. ahead on "cbs this morning," we'll hear from tom porter, the southern region chief for cal fire who's managing the fight against three of the major fires in southern california. this morning the only government that's praised president trump's decision to

declare jerusalem as israel's capital is israel. president mahmoud abbas said the u.s. abdicated its role as a mid east peace broker. arabs and muslims and many other allies condemn the decision. [ chanting ] >> on the gaza strip protesters took to the streets and the state department issued an updated worldwide caution to citizens abroad. major garrett has more. >> we cannot solve problems by making the same failed assumptions and repeating the same failed strategies of the past. >> president trump's recognition of jerusalem as the capital of israel rejects the policy of previous presidents and the recommendations of his secretaries of state and defense. >> this is a long overdue process and to work toward a lasting agreement.

>> but administration officials could point to no evidence that this shift in policy will accelerate peace talks. mr. trump's son-in-law jared kushner. >> in an appeal to his christian conservative base, candidate trump promised the move. he started that effort which is expected to take at least four years. >> a new embassy when completed will be a magnificent tribute to peace. >> the president made his decision last week at the urging of vice president mike pence. pence himself a christian conservative and staunch supporter of israel will travel to the region later this month. >> there will, of course, be disagreement and dissent regarding this announcement. >> mr. trump said he would not

dictate the terms of the peace agreement allowing them to do it if that's what the palestinians and they agreed to. >> this should call forth the best state in humanity, lifting our sights, not pulling us back and down. >> senior administration officials anticipate the palestinians will, quote, blow off some steam, unquote, before realizing the u.s. is central to any durable peace deal and with this move, they say, the president is signaling the contours of that ultimate deal will get worse, not better, the longer the palestinians wait. major garrett, cbs news, the white house. amid growing allegations of sexual misconduct senator al franken plans to make an announcement today. last night he tweeted he will not make a decision whether he'll resign but all signs point

that way. after a seventh woman made a claim, franken lost the support of many democrats. >> the knew mer rossty and the types of complaints, it would probably be in the best interest. >> more than a dozen senate democrats are calling for franken to step down as is the head of the democratic party. ahead on "cbs this morning," one of the senators calling for al frank on the resign, bernie sanders. also in washington, donald trump jr. isn't talking. he testified before the house committee yesterday. he refused to answer questions about conversations he had with his father in 2016 about the meeting with the russia lawyer. he cited attorney/client privilege. larry nassar, the former doctor for women's gymnastics is

scheduled to be sentenced today. numerous female gymnasts including members of the u.s. olympic team have accused nassar of sexual abuse, some lasting years. under the plea deal nassar could receive a deal of a men mum of 27 years. and there was a road rage shoot outon a busy houston street. two men eninvolved in an accident pulled out guns and starting shooting. one woman was injured and another was taken into custody. it's unclear what sparked the disturbance. coming up on the "morning news," expanding house rights. the house votes on a controversial gun bill and a warning for women who take birth control pills. this is the "cbs morning news." jooirngs

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those are some of the headlines on the morning newsstand. the bill allows gun owners who legally carry firearms in one state to carry them in 49 other states. it also strengthens the national background system. the bill now goes to the senate. spor"sports illustrated" res hall of fame quarterback warren moon is being accused of sexual harassment. 32-year-old wendy haskell hired july at moon's sports marketing firm. she claims he mads him share a bed and made unwanted sexual advances and said she was demoted after she complained about moon's behavior. he's taking an absence from his radio show in seattle for the seahawks. the study said modern birth control pills that are lower in

estrogen have fewer side effects than past oral contraceptives but they still raise the risk of breast cancer, especially with long-term use. women should bans the use and comparing to others. the los angeles times reports they've decided to award the bronze star to the man who saved their life. joe george who died in 1996 will be awarded the medal posthumously on the 76th anniversary of the japanese attack. now, the two survivors say they were badly injured in the attack when george disobeyed orders to leave them and instead threw them a rope and led them to safety. still to come, the rising cost of health care. we teal you which expense americans spend the most money on. take a moment. to unwrap, and unwind...

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about 18 billion light years away from eric. it was formed just 690 million years after the big bang when the universe was its present age. on the "cbs moneywatch" health care spending soars and walmart tweaks its name. diane king hall is at the new york stock exchange with that and more. >> good morning, anne-marie. energy stocks hit a plunge following oil prices. the s&p was virtually unchanged. the tech-heavy nasdaq finished the day 14 points high jeer the world's largest retailer is getting a name change. beginning in february walmart stores will become just walmart. they're dropping store, customers can shop however they want. they're ditching the hyphen

between wal and matter. they're offering online and same-day delivery programs. federal government says health care spending spent $3.3 trillion last year. that's $10,348 for every man. it was lower than it was in 2015. hospital care accounts for overall costs followed by clinical costs and drugs. meanwhile the price of viagra is tumbling after pfizer announced it's launched a jen nark version. they'll begin selling the generic version at half the $65 retail price. viagra the first impotence pill launched in 1988. >> thank you so much, diane. coming up, the safest cars

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. ♪ rescue me and take me in your arms rescue me ♪ a man jumped off a fishing pier and into the ocean in venice, florida, to rescue a turtle. the 300-pound turtle got entangled in another fisherman's line. he brought it back to the pier and it swam away. this year automakers had a tougher road to get good grades.

nikki battiste explains. >> crash tests have long been a key element how national highway traffic safety administration rates vehicles. side impact and hits from the front were analyzed. in this year's new tests, crashes almost always to the passenger side. >> we've been do small frontal yoerch lap tests on the driver side since 2012 and we receive a lot of improvement, but we weren't seeing that kind of improvement for passengers. >> six vehicles were picked. it's a drop from last year and the new crash tests are not the only reason why. the iiha is also raising the standards for head lamps. >> we're raising the standards for headlamps. when we look at how they're lighting up the road, they're not doing a good job. in terms of how far you can see

and then poor, it literally is night and day. vehicles with auto breaking also earned high marks. automakers plan to make it a standard feature by 2022. >> cars are safer than they ever have. >> lundberg believes with more crash test performance and better headlights vehicles will be even safer down the road. the ride-hailing company lyft began its self-driving car program in boston. if you order car, lyft will send a self-driving car with a back seat driver. they have limited routes. they hope they can eventually complement public transportation. coming up on "cbs this morning," in the series "a more perfect union" we'll meet special service dogs help blind runners keep their competitive edge. i'm anne-marie green.

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our top story this morning. wind-driven out-of-control wildfires are causing widespread destruction in southern california including most exclusive los angeles neighborhood of bel-air. hundreds of homes are feared destroyed and about 200,000 residents are told to evacuate. americans are hitting the road in r.v.s. sales topped nearly half a million. dean reynolds looked at what's driving the boom. >> reporter: this northwest facility in indiana is the driving force for 80% of all motor coaches in this country

and they can't seem to build them fast not. lots of jayco are lined with all kinds of r.v.s. we opted for the integrity of the integrys model. >> this is the $700,000 but one of your assistants told me i could drive it away for $699,999. >> on board, cabinets, counters, kitchens, and more. >> people love to drank with their own bedding, shower, five tvs. >> reporter: during the great recession, unemployment was close to 20%. today it's less than 2%. matt lester was once laid off but is now a foreman. >> thinks is loosened up a lot. >> this jayco warehouse will

need more workers starting at $50,000 a year. nearby elkhart once down on its luck is bustling with a downtown local kfc offering a $150 hiring bonus. what's driving the r.v. centrifugal? low interest rates and gas prices and a new wanderlust. andy littlejohn added something else. >> romance of the road, meeting new people. that's very important. >> reporter: at a time of deep divisions in this country, americans may once again find common ground on the road. dean reynolds, cbs news, middlebury, indiana. coming up on "cbs this morning" -- >> reporter: it's a chemical found in common paint strippers, but did you know it can kill you. that story coming up on "cbs this morning." plus the homeless population grew for the first time since the great recession.

how higher costs of living are forcing silicon valley workers out of their homes. and in the series "a more perfect union," we'll meade special service dogs help their blind runners keep a competitive edge. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. i'm anne-marie green. thanks for watching. thanks for watching. have a great day. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

scorched earth four wild fires are leaving destruction around and threatening multi million-dollar home in california, we will tell you why crews say the worries yet to come. >> i'm scared. i'm horrified that this happened, for my children. terrified mother says angry driver followed her to the parking lot hear what happened next. senator al franken is expected to make an announcement a day after many fellow democratic called on him to step down. it is thursday, december 7th i'm jim donovan. i'm rahel solomon. all that plus why a pennsylvania police department is doing away with tickets in the name of charity. lets check with the forecast with katie and road with meisha. >> gor